For Someone Important
by Ouha-chan
Summary: SasuSaku. Three years have passed since Uchiha Sasuke's betrayal of Konoha. But now that he has mysteriously returned to his old home, what awaits him and his companions as they try to mend what has been broken? Chapter 04 Complete.
1. Chapter 01: Prologue & Home

_**For Someone Important...** Three years have passed since Uchiha Sasuke's betrayal of Konoha. But now that he has mysteriously returned to his old home, what awaits him and his companions as they try to mend what has been broken? Sasuke+Sakura, Neji+Tenten, Naruto+Hinata, Shikamaru+Ino, and Kakashi+Kurenai._

_---------- **Prologue** ----------  
_

Three years. Three long, long years had passed since that fateful night. The night that Uchiha Sasuke had turned his back on everyone and everything, the night he had given up his friends, his home, and his very life to seek power. Power that most likely would not even be enough to kill the man he had sworn vengeance against; the one he was seeking power to eliminate -- his own brother, Uchiha Itachi.

Three years since he had left his previous life behind...

Still, feelings would always be feelings and feelings would always get in the way. And that would always remain a prominent obstacle for a shinobi -- because, to some, feelings would always be considered a hindrance to ability. Because, to some, feelings would always be considered a weakness.

Because he would always possess those feelings.

No matter how hard he tried to push them out, they were there. The feelings he still had and would always have for his home, his friends -- for Kakashi, for Naruto, and for Sakura. The feelings he had pushed back into the farthest reaches of his mind, his thoughts regarding his life in Konoha more than thirty-six months ago, the feelings he had been unable to erase.

They were feelings he never would be able to erase.

Even after his encounter with Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi's replacement, and his own replacement almost six months ago. The moment he realized they were there, the minute he looked at them, he had felt something -- almost like the tiniest pang of guilt, somewhere inside himself. He had almost regretted his chosen path, and now he could only wonder if he truly had taken the best road to his ambition...

The best road to his dream.

----------** Chapter 01: Home **----------

It was dark out; the sun had already hid itself behind the distant hills. The few shreds of its warm light remaining had sheltered away for the night, leaving only the brilliance of the moon and stars up above as guidance for those who would be unable to see through the thick curtain of black called nighttime.

Alone, and walking toward the gates to the village he once called home, Uchiha Sasuke's obsidian eyes narrowed slightly to clear that persistent blur that had clouded them, not willing to give up just yet. Blood soaked noticibly through his black attire and he seemed to be having difficulty staying on his feet.

Hollowed breaths bellowed up from his dry throat to escape through parched lips that were partially tinted red. His body was giving out; he couldn't stay awake much longer. It had been hard, so hard he could barely count the ways, but he had managed to get away from the Oto. Itachi wasn't dead yet, and for that, Sasuke wasn't going to let his body be taken over now. Orochimaru should have known that, if he truly knew as much about the avenger as he claimed to.

It hurt, deep inside everything hurt -- not just the wounds he had sustained in his struggle with the snake Sannin and his minions. He had promised himself that he wouldn't return to Konohagakure, at least not until he had fulfilled his objective. It hadn't even really been intentional; the only place he really knew was Konoha, and for that reason his feet seemed to have guided him back of their own accord.

He had first betrayed Konoha, then he had betrayed his only chance to achieve the Mangekyou Sharingan by sparing Naruto, and now he was betraying himself, his will. In a sense, hr was going back on his word, something that he would probably never forgive himself for. He was about to look straight into the eyes of that which he had betrayed. They had no reason to welcome him back; in fact, this foolishness was most likely nothing more than suicide.

He didn't deserve to be forgiven, he didn't deserve to be welcomed back into Konoha... And he knew that it would be wrong to expect such a reaction. But still, he had to keep going, he couldn't stop now...

Sasuke was growing increasingly unaware of the world around him, sound whistled by his ears only barely and his eyes were going horribly out of focus, blearing and threatening to stop seeing at all. Maybe he wouldn't even make it... No, he would make it. He had to make it. He wouldn't give up. He wouldn't surrender so easily. At least, he had learned that much from Konoha.

Reaching the village boundaries, he stared up at the partially opened gates, his right hand shakily rising toward it. It was then that his knees buckled under him and soon after they connected with the cool earth below. Sasuke gritted his teeth, his mind fading in and out of consciousness as he tried to push himself closer. The pain from the stab wound he had suffered in his right side started to throb again worse this time, and he coughed as his body collapsed forward just inside the gate...

He was home.

-----

The gentle sound of the door slipping carefully open, the fresh floral scent of lilies, and an annoyingly tight and painfully burning sensation around his midsection was enough to sneakily flood Sasuke's mind with consciousness, breathing what seemed like new life into him and returning him to the land of the living...

But where was he?

Slowly, very slowly, Sasuke's ebony eyes fluttered open and shuttered when the allowed light filtered into his somewhat weak vision from the purely white room's only window. Silently, he trailed his eyes around the room's interior, but he stopped on a particular person who was sitting in the chair beside his bed. The room may have been practically empty, but in his eyes, it was all too crowded.

Haruno Sakura was wearing a small smile on her face as she carefully slipped the lilies she had brought for her former teammate into the ceramic structure of a rose colored vase that had been sitting harmlessly on the stand to Sasuke's right. As soon as the emerald eyed kunoichi was finished, she quickly noticed that the only other occupant of the room was very much awake and staring at her...

"Sasuke-kun," she acknowledged after brushing a few strands of her cherry blossom colored hair behind one of her ears; Sasuke forcefully averted his eyes to the ceiling, not wanting to meet her gaze. It sounded strangely refreshing to hear her call him by that name, it caused something to elate inside of him -- his heart, which seemed to have frozen over those three years seemed to resume beating.

It was as if something had been missing from his life, something that was vital to his very existence; perhaps it was something about Konoha, or perhaps it was something about Sakura. Still, it was hard -- much too hard to even look at her in the eye. He knew all too well that forgiveness was too much for him to expect this time.

Tiredness soon enough worked its way through his still injured body as he slowly rose up into a sitting position, draping his right arm across his midsection where he could clearly feel the pressure of bandages. They had apparently found him at the entrance of the village and treated his wounds.

"Hn." How typical. Maybe he was more like the old Sasuke now than the cold hearted one they had encountered more recently; that glimmer of hope alone was a relief to Sakura who wanted to break into a happy laughter at the mere sound of that ever so familiar dismissiveness. He was still her Sasuke-kun, no matter what. And, she concluded, no matter what he did to try and change that, he always _would_ be.

However, Sakura's smile faded into a frown as she raised her left hand to wipe away the small amount of moisture that had gathered around the rims of her eyes. While happy to see him again after those six months, she couldn't stop that nagging feeling in her heart. It hurt, looking at him seemed to resurrect the pain from the night he'd left, as well as the pain she'd felt when he had elluded their grasp more recently.

This wasn't the first time she had remembered those heart wrenching events by any means, but it was one of the hardest. This was the day of his return after all. He was finally back after all of the pain, all of the loneliness, all of the hard training she and Naruto had both endured.

And now she would fight if need be to keep him from leaving ever again.

A perturbing silence settled into the room next, neither of its occupants truly knowing what to say. There had been so much Sakura had meant to say to Sasuke when she seen him again, there had been many things she wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him that all had been forgiven, but she couldn't seem to form the words. She wasn't even sure if he would care about that or not, he was Uchiha Sasuke after all -- but still, she wanted him to know. And in her heart she wouldn't be all right until she was certain that he knew the truth.

On Sasuke's part, this was awkward for more reasons than one; he wanted to apologize yet he didn't, he wanted to run away but he couldn't, he wanted things to be different but he knew they weren't. He hated this silence; not knowing what Sakura was thinking was beginning to bug him more than it ever had in the past.

What he wanted... was her forgiveness. Something he knew he may never truly receive. Something he may never be able to earn again...

The quiet sanctity of the hospital room was abruptly shattered when the door was flung open, revealing a familiar blond haired boy who's cerulean eyes immediately fixated on the bedridden form of his best friend and rival. Sakura jerked her head around to see the third member of Team 7, as Sasuke turned his eyes only briefly to Naruto before averting them again.

Naruto wasn't certain what to say. On one hand, he was happy that Sasuke was back and he was perhaps even happier for Sakura because he knew she must've been overjoyed. On the other hand, he wasn't really sure how to react. Before, he'd had half a mind to beat the living hell out of the raven haired Uchiha boy(or at least try) and give him one heck of a talking too. But, now, he wasn't really sure what to do. In the condition Sasuke was in, there was no way he could attack him. So, typically enough for Naruto, he spoke the words that were probably the most obvious...

"S--Sasuke-teme, y--you're... you're back!"

It was oh so obvious, but so true. The significance of those words was a lot greater than one might realize at first, and it caused a strange feeling to pool in Sasuke's stomach. He was back, no matter how many times he repeated those words in his mind, it seemed fresh every time. He was back, he was actually back. Something about it seemed strangely surreal, but it was a feeling that threatened to force a smirk onto his mostly expressionless face.

"Dobe." Sasuke regarded, and Sakura couldn't contain the smile that formed on her lips; it was just like the changes that had occurred had been on a much smaller scale, it was like the three of them were still in Team 7 together. That was Sakura's dearest wish, but somewhere deep inside she also knew that things could never completely return to normal.

Still, she could hope for things to be as close as possible.

"Naruto..." Sakura murmured, drawing the loudmouthed boy's attention. He shifted his eyes from Sasuke to her, silently asking what was up. Sakura nibbled lightly on the inside of her bottom lip as her hands subconsciously clenched against her skirt. "I'm... sorry to ask this, but... can you leave Sasuke-kun and myself alone for a little while longer?" she asked carefully. Naruto waited a second before nodding affirmatively. Sasuke secretly noted this exchange; it seemed the immature boy he'd known before, though still essentially the same person, had matured at least a little as well.

This was, after all, the first time he had seen them in a nonviolent situation.

"All right, Sakura-chan; but, I want my chance to talk to Sasuke later," he replied and Sakura only nodded in agreement causing Naruto to slip back out the door before closing it a bit more quietly behind him. Sakura sighed lowly to try and relieve a bit of the tension that had rose to the air, her shoulders shaking slightly as she lowered her head a bit so her bangs shaded her eyes.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable suddenly, Sasuke shifted a bit and turned his head to once again focus his eyes on the girl he once knew as a friend. His lips parted as if wanting to speak, but he couldn't summon the words. It was an awful feeling, not being able to even try and figure out how she felt. But, somehow he wasn't certain that he wanted to know...

What if she no longer felt the same way she did back then -- especially after all he'd done to them? What would his life really be like without Sakura? He had experienced such circumstances over the past three years, and he wasn't certain he could go through it again. Was it not possible that it was for that very reason -- those very same nagging feelings -- that he had returned?

"Sasuke-kun... I..." Sakura began, and Sasuke noticed a tremor in her voice; she had gotten stronger, he could tell just by looking at her that she wasn't the weak little girl she used to be -- he had realized that much during their last encounter. Both Sakura and Naruto had grown a lot.

But, regardless of Sakura's maturity since he'd last seen her, was it possible that she was crying? He could remember that she cried several times when they were in Team 7 together, and he used to think of her as nothing but an annoyance at first. But... things had changed.

So much would never be the same again.

Lifting her head revealed to Sasuke that tears had indeed formed in Sakura's eyes, but they seemed to be refusing to fall. She was holding them back, she was afraid. She didn't want to show him her tears, she didn't want him to see her as a crybaby. She didn't want him to see her as being weak. Not anymore.

And so, Sakura smiled. Perhaps the most genuine smile she had managed since her days as a Genin, and it was a smile that almost caused Sasuke's heart to stop. Her tears finally fell then, dripping onto her lap as she reached up to wipe them away, her smile never fading as her eyes actually met the real Sasuke's for the first time in three years...

"Sasuke-kun, welcome home."

---------- **Tsudzuku: To Be Continued** ----------

_**Preview:** What will Sasuke's punishment entail? Next Time: "Affliction". _

**Disclaimer & Copyright Information:** I do not own Naruto (© Kishimoto Masashi); however, I am the author of this story. If you have comments or suggestions, leave a review or send me an e-mail. Doumo arigatou, for reading my writing!


	2. Chapter 02: Affliction

_**For Someone Important...** Three years have passed since Uchiha Sasuke's betrayal of Konoha. But now that he has mysteriously returned to his old home, what awaits him and his companions as they try to mend what has been broken? Sasuke+Sakura, Neji+Tenten, Naruto+Hinata, Shikamaru+Ino, and Kakashi+Kurenai._

---------- **Chapter 02: Affliction** ----------

Some things Sasuke would probably never understand, such as why Sakura seemed so accepting of his return or why Naruto hadn't attempted to kill him yet. Those among other things, like the reason Kakashi felt compelled to promise that he would try and talk Tsunade into lessening the punishment he would receive regarding the time he had spent as a Nukenin. What the raven haired boy _did_ understand were the long and ridiculously extensive speeches he received from each of those particular three regarding his absence.

From Naruto, it had been a rather difficult rant about various things concerning his choice of Orochimaru over Kakashi as a teacher and the fact that he had abandoned those close to him. From Sakura, it had been a few choice words about making her worry so much and him promising never to affiliate himself with the Oto or any other villages aside from Konoha ever again. From Kakashi, it had been a rather complicated discussion about never turning ones back on the people you care about and always honoring teamwork and dedication to one's comrades.

They were all three right, and some part of Sasuke was ashamed to admit that they were. He had really done something terrible, something that probably would have shamed his parents and clan had they still been alive. He had abandoned those he had come to care about in favor of gaining power to avenge those he had already lost. He had lost a good portion of his honor, and now it was his job to try and redeem himself.

Kakashi had agreed to continue training him on a regular schedule, another mystery to the Uchiha's mind, but it wasn't an unaccepted offer. There would be a lot of work to do, but determination -- the ability to never give up... That spirit was what the Hinokuni was best defined by, and it was about time he realized that.

But before he could continue training, he had to focus on finding a way out of the hospital first...

-----

"Sasuke-kun, don't try to move around so much." Sakura commanded as she pressed her hands against Sasuke's shoulders to push him back down into a sitting position. He raised his eyes to her as if to question why, and she could only smile slightly. "It's for your own good; you're not completely healed yet," she murmured and Sasuke reluctantly nodded. She was right, whether he liked it or not. He couldn't train to the fullest while he was still injured, and he didn't feel like fighting through Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, and who knew who else, to try...

Sakura bit down on her tongue. She had assisted his recovery a bit, but there was more she could do -- she was a Medical Ninja now, she would have been able to heal some of his injuries. She just wasn't certain she was ready to let him break his back trying to get strong enough to avenge his clan. She would have been lying to say she wasn't worried about his health, she was very worried. And true enough, he _would_ eventually heal anyway...

"Sasuke-kun..." she began somewhat uncertainly to draw her former teammate's attention. "I... can heal you," she finished. Sasuke seemed puzzled when a look of determination made itself visible in Sakura's eyes. She allowed them to land on him squarely as she took in a deep breath. "But, you have to promise not to push yourself too hard. And you have to let me help you!"

Amazingly, she seemed completely serious about that. Sasuke breathed out deeply. But, if he would just agree to her demands, then he could get started training all the sooner...

"Fine," he agreed and a happy smile formed on Sakura's lips. She nodded and moved back a little from him before raising her hands towards Sasuke, who seemed to study her expression as she closed her eyes in preparation. Come to think of it, how would she heal him? He hadn't really thought to ask... It looked like Medical Ninjutsu she was using, but he hadn't been aware of her knowing any.

"Sakura, where did learn this?" Sasuke asked when the pink haired girl finished with her Jutsu, causing her to smile slightly again with a tiny wink.

"I learned all kinds of new tricks while you were away. This is Medical Ninjutsu that Tsunade-shishou taught me," she explained as she clapped her hands together once to signify that she was finished. What appeared to be the hint of a smirk tugged at the left corner of Sasuke's mouth as he pushed himself to his feet. It had worked, and that was the most important thing -- now he could continue training.

"Thanks Sakura," said Sasuke, and the welcoming grin he received in response was enough to prevent him from becoming nervous about his expression of gratitude. Something was different about Sakura, something was definitely different. He had known that from the start actually, but he hadn't quite managed to put his finger on it.

"Demo, before you get started training, you have to talk to Tsunade-shishou so you two can discuss your trial." Sakura informed and Sasuke merely nodded once affirmatively as he rolled his left wrist to make sure it wasn't broken from his latest fight. He had known that it wouldn't be easy in the least; his punishment was probably going to be horrendous in severity...

"Let's go," he whispered and Sakura nodded before heading out the door, ready to lead the way... This was going to be annoying, but Sakura wasn't about to be letting Sasuke go -- not after what happened, she was going to stick with him until the very end. And there was no way that even the Godaime could stop her.

-----

"So you really think you should be doing this?" Tsunade asked one more time to be certain. "If Sasuke does end up doing something like that again, if he ends up betraying Konohagakure again, then the penalty will be on your heads as well as his. You still want to go through with this?"

Kakashi only nodded once, before preparing to speak. "I have faith in Sasuke," he answered, then added more to himself than anyone, "Probably more than he has in himself." Gai seemed fully agreeable to Tsunade's terms as well, he was fully willing to stand by his arch rival's decision.

"I believe in Kakashi's decision; if Kakashi has faith in Sasuke then I, too, have faith in him." Gai responded as well, causing everyone to turn their eyes to Kurenai. She breathed a low sigh before preparing her reply as well.

"If Kakashi really believes that Sasuke won't try anything, I have no choice but to agree with his decision -- his judgment has pretty much always been validated in the past." Kurenai gave her answer, and Tsunade nodded once affirmatively before turning her attention to the forth and final Jounin.

Hyuuga Neji closed his eyes before speaking, "If Uchiha intended to escape Konoha to go back to Orochimaru again, why would he have nearly died getting back here?" He knew all too well of the injuries Sasuke had sustained(which clearly signified a struggle of some sort, more than likely with Orochimaru of the Sannin and probably others within the Oto); he had been the one to find him early that morning and carry him back to the hospital after all.

Tsunade breathed a low sigh of reluctance. There was no talking them out of it. "Since you all seem determined, you leave me no choice," she began, her voice stern; she had made her decision, which was fortunately in their favor. "Instead of a trial, I'll try my best to come up with another way for him to earn his rank back; his success is in his own hands, there's nothing more any of you can do for him. Everyone is dismissed."

-----

Neji folded his arms in thought upon stepping out of Tsunade's office; not to his surprise, he found Tenten and Rock Lee waiting for him. He shifted his ivory eyes from one to the other before recalling the conversation with the Godaime Hokage in his mind.

"So, what's up Neji?" Tenten finally asked, causing the dark haired Jounin to prepare a suitable answer.

"Uchiha Sasuke is back in Konoha," he explained, causing the eyes of his teammates to widen a bit in reaction. So the rumors were true, Sasuke was actually back.

Tenten smiled a bit; she had developed a fairly close friendship with Sakura over the past three years, and she could only imagine how happy Sakura must have been. A day hadn't passed that Sakura hadn't thought about Sasuke, Tenten could tell that much just by looking at her; it was on rare, special occasions that she actually spoke of him however. Perhaps his name brought up bad memories or remembrance of Konoha's failure to bring him back, but regardless, the pink haired medical kunoichi seemed almost afraid of the subject. And that was enough to convince Tenten that Sakura's feelings for Sasuke were indeed deeper than they had seemed to be at first. And, more importantly, those feelings hadn't diminished over the past three years.

"But, Neji, how do you know?" Lee asked suddenly, drawing Neji's attention. He seemed to frown a bit.

"I was the one who found him just inside the village boundaries this morning and carried him back to the hospital," he replied, "It seems that he just wandered back here of his own will."

"We will have to stop by and say hello to Sasuke-kun later!" Lee determined, and Neji sighed. He supposed it wouldn't hurt, not that it really mattered if he were to go or not. It wasn't as if he had to do everything his teammates did, but he did feel strangely more comfortable around them than simply walking around or training alone.

So, it was decided; the three of them would drop by the hospital to see Sasuke later on in the evening.

-----

"That's right; they said someone found him this morning!" Naruto exclaimed to Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. Kiba and Shino exchanged glances as Hinata was hidden behind a nearby tree, blushing. Naruto shifted his eyes to each of the three individually before smiling broadly. "Well, just thought I'd let you guys know; I'm off to get some lunch!" he added with a wave before turning to wander off.

Kiba and Shino both looked over at Hinata as she started to speak. She nibbled gently on her bottom lip as she poked her index fingers together, her cheeks reddening.

"N--N--Naruto-kun, m--matte," she called after him, causing the blond haired boy to toss her a glance back over his shoulder. She was still clinging to that same tree, but she seemed to have something to say now. "U--U--Um..."

"What's up, Hinata-chan?" he asked, and Hinata bowed her head as she let out a deep breath to prepare herself. She was probably hoping her heartbeat would slow down a bit, because in all nervousness, she wasn't sure it ever would. She waited a few seconds before offering her suggestion.

"I--I c--c--could... come... with y--y--you..." The tension rose for her as she awaited his answer. What would he say? If possible, she thought her heart might have been beating faster than before. She was almost scared that it would hop right out of her chest...

Naruto grinned that boyish grin of his, and Hinata lowered her head a bit as if bracing herself. "Sure! I like company!" he responded, and Hinata's head shot back up to reveal a shaky smile forming on her mouth. Several minutes of complete silence passed between them as Kiba and Shino just kind of disappeared in one direction -- not that anyone seemed to notice very much.

He had said yes! He had actually said yes! Hinata's heart was doing back flips as her smile only widened. After quite some time, Naruto's smile faded a bit and he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Well, we can't go if you stay glued to that tree all day," he pointed out, and Hinata blinked a couple of times in embarrassment. He was right; she couldn't keep hiding behind the tree if she was going with him.

So, not wanting to miss her chance, Hinata ducked out from behind the tree and took a couple of small steps forward. Smile returning full force, Naruto marched over to her and grabbed one of her hands in one of his before spinning and starting to lead her off toward the Ichiraku Ramen. Hinata's blush deepened as she smiled contentedly.

Meanwhile, nearby, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji just happened to be passing by and overheard everything. Ino smiled a rather broad smile, squealing joyfully. Shikamaru and Chouji both looked at her strangely.

"Did you hear them? Sasuke-kun is back!" she exclaimed, and Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Troublesome females, would they always flock to that blasted Uchiha even after he had betrayed the whole country?

Ino then added, "Sakura-chan must be beaming right now! I've gotta go offer her my support." Shikamaru and Chouji exchanged confused glances as Ino turned to run off, waving back at them. "I'll meet up with you guys later!" she called, before taking off in a dash that left her two teammates speechless.

Shikamaru closed his eyes, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and continued walking; Chouji soon followed after him. The black haired lazy chuunin lifted his head to look at the clouds, frowning slightly. "I hate women," he muttered finally, knowing it wasn't true. Chouji grinned as he popped a potato chip into his mouth.

Shikamaru couldn't hate women; his mother was a woman and he had to love her; he was also friends with Ino and Temari(sort of friends with Sakura, too)! Plus, it was common knowledge, at least to Chouji, that Shikamaru possessed some admiration for their lively, plucky, loudmouth blond of a teammate. Chouji knew him better than anyone, after all.

-----

"So?" Sakura asked, her hands clutched together in front of her hopefully. Sasuke folded his arms as Tsunade breathed a low sigh. This was going to be bad news, and Sasuke knew it...

"While Sasuke did betray Konoha to join the Oto, he is a valuable asset to this country as one of only two remaining members of the renowned Uchiha clan. Therefore, I've decided to grant him a single chance to reclaim his rank as a Genin of Konoha." Tsunade explained causing the hint of a smile to hug Sakura's mouth as Sasuke seemed confused by this unwarranted lenience.

"Sasuke; I will be sending you on an important mission tomorrow. Sakura, Naruto, and two others will accompany you to ensure that you don't attempt to escape again. If you accomplish the mission successfully, then I will reinstate your rank and you can begin vying to become a Chuunin," she added, and Sakura was quick to respond.

"We'll complete this mission of yours, no problem!" she stated, punching her fisted right hand into her open left. Sasuke glanced at her only briefly. So they were giving him another chance, after all -- they really were more forgiving than he had expected them to be...

"And also, to make sure you don't try anything, Sakura will be staying with you at all times." Tsunade added and a strange bubbling feeling pooled in Sasuke's stomach. So there was a catch. He rubbed his temple soothingly as Sakura seemed surprised by this assignment. Tsunade only smiled a bit. "Sakura, I have already informed your mother that you'll be living with Sasuke for a while as part of the mission; I expect there will be no objections."

"Tsunade-shishou--"

"Sakura. I need to speak with you alone; Sasuke can wait outside for you," the golden eyed woman commanded sternly and Sakura only nodded once before turning to Sasuke to ask that he leave for the given minute. Before she could speak however, he turned towards the door.

"Hn," his response was short and typical of him. He stepped out, leaving the matter to Sakura and Tsunade. The latter's expression softened a bit as she sat her pencil down on her desk.

"I am well aware of how you feel about Sasuke, but I have to ask you as your superior; don't let him talk you into letting him leave or anything of that sort. If you really care about him, you'll try to keep him here in Konoha, and you'll try to help him accomplish this mission so he can take the Chuunin Exam this year -- this is the best possibility for him." Tsunade stated, and Sakura lowered her head slightly.

"Thank you, Tsunade-shishou," she murmured, closing her eyes briefly before raising her head and focusing them on her teacher. "I will keep Sasuke-kun here, even if I have to beat the desire to stay into him!" she stated, determination visible in her eyes. Tsunade knew that she was being completely honest, if only for that gleam of affirmation on her face. The older woman nodded slowly.

"Good. I trust you won't let me down. You have complete surveillance over Sasuke, that is your official mission until things quiet down a bit," she stated before smiling a little, "Do _not_ let him out of your sight, though I'm sure you wouldn't whether or not I tell you."

Case closed. There were no more words and discussions, only missions given and two young shinobi dismissed. This was certainly going to complicate things quite a bit in the Uchiha's eyes, especially if Sakura was really set against him pushing himself -- that would make training quite the difficult task, and that's what he was afraid of.

-----

The minute they began walking down the sidewalk, Sasuke was automatically the most popular thing to glare at; the looks of distant admiration and respect were gone from the faces of Konoha, though fear still remained in a few of them. He had turned his back on each and every one of them, so at least in his eyes their dislike of his presence was well warranted.

After a few minutes, Sakura was beginning to get annoyed. It wasn't long before she started returning glares, shooting homicidal looks that would have frightened almost anyone and did end a bit of the rude scrutiny. Sasuke merely lowered his head a bit. He didn't want to meet any of their eyes, and Sakura was rather quick to notice this. Finally, gritting her teeth, she stopped walking which instinctively caused Sasuke to stop behind her.

"What the hell is with all you people?" she yelled, startling the throngs of spectators. She was growing very, very annoyed. "Do you have a problem or something?" Some of the bystanders continued about their business, while others were far more stubborn...

"What's he doing back here!"

"Didn't he betray Konoha?"

"Why doesn't he just go back to wherever he came from!"

Sakura felt her blood pumping through her veins faster than usual; she bit down on her bottom lip to calm herself down and breathed a low sigh. "Sasuke-kun is no worse than any of you," she stated, causing Sasuke to look at her as everyone else seemed appalled by her response. He really was hated, wasn't he? "Look at you, gathered around here like you're watching a parade! And for what? So you can glare at someone for just being here?" she lectured, venting a bit of steam. A few murmurs were exchanged between the people, probably directed towards her.

"Sakura, let it go--"

"Iie!" Sakura argued, causing Sasuke to sigh lowly. It was pointless to try and convince them that they were wrong about him when they were so perfectly right. He was nothing more than a worthless waste of space. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed tears culminating at the bases of Sakura's emerald eyes.

"Sasuke-kun wanted to avenge his clan and he thought that it would be easier if he went somewhere else! At least his reasons were honorable!" Several more people drifted away; Sakura was kind of intimidating right now...

"You tell 'em girl!" a voice called from behind, causing both Sasuke and Sakura to glance back. Ino smiled and winked slightly as she stopped by Sakura's other side. "Why don't you all just beat it! Go on! Scram! Make like a tree and leave!" she called mockingly, making a shooing gesture with her right hand.

"Get lost! And _don't_ make me tell you again." This time it was none other than Hyuuga Neji who had come to the rescue, leaving all three of the others in a state of bewilderment. The swarms of people seemed to vanish without a trace in reaction to that patented Hyuuga Death Glare that Neji had developed all on his own.

"So, Uchiha, you're back," he pointed out even though he very obviously already knew that little fact. Sasuke closed his eyes.

"Hn."

Sakura breathed a sigh to calm herself before curling her arms around her midsection. "Arigatou, Neji-san," she murmured with a quick bow of her head as another approached from behind Neji. Tenten smiled softly.

"You know the trouble we had finding you guys? You weren't at the hospital and Godaime-sama just said that you should be wandering around town somewhere," she stated, causing Sakura to blink twice -- Tsunade had said that? Tenten inhaled deeply. "Well, let's go!" she exclaimed next. Sakura and Sasuke simultaneously raised an eyebrow.

"Go... where?" Sakura questioned. Tenten's smile broadened just a bit.

"Neji and I are here to escort you two to the Uchiha District," she explained, and Ino blinked.

"Both of you?"

Sakura rubbed the back of her neck somewhat sheepishly. "Well, my mission is to keep an eye on Sasuke-kun at all times to make sure he doesn't try anything," she said quickly. Ino nudged her in the side.

"Good luck," she mumbled slyly with a tiny wink. Sasuke looked over at her as Sakura blushed slightly and lowered her head. "... For the mission of course," added Ino, noticing that eerily cold look that Sasuke was sending her.

"Well, I'll be off! I just wanted to stop by the hospital and offer you my support, Sakura-chan, but it doesn't seem like you need it." Ino commented as she turned to walk off the same way she had come from to meet back up with Shikamaru and Chouji, wherever they may have been by now. "See you later!"

Sakura watched as her best friend strolled off with a flicker of amusement in her eyes. Ino had amazingly become supportive of her and her feelings for Sasuke, just as Tenten and Hinata had. Sakura really had so many great friends, and if it hadn't been for all of them(along with her determination to get stronger so she would be able to bring Sasuke home), she wasn't certain she would have made it through those difficult times.

"Coming or not?" Neji asked a bit more rudely than needed, causing Sasuke to start walking forward. Snapping herself out of her daze, Sakura followed close behind Sasuke, keeping her eyes glued firmly to the raven haired boy in front of her. She secretly smiled a content smile.

The trip to the edge of the Uchiha District was rather animated, with Sakura and Tenten chatting about different things as usual while Neji occasionally threw in a small comment. Sasuke merely watched their interactions in partial interest; things hadn't really changed much since he was last there, but somehow everything just felt... different to him. He felt strangely relaxed during the walk back to his old residence, but that didn't stop the tension that found him when they reached it.

"Well, this is where we part ways." Tenten stated and Sakura smiled.

"Thanks for escorting us this far," she thanked them, and after a few friendly parting words, Neji and Tenten were headed back to the training grounds they always used as Sasuke and Sakura continued on the short walk remaining to Sasuke's old house.

Sakura couldn't help but feel a bit dreadful as they walked through the district she'd never really visited before, the entire section of town was dead; it was more like a ghost town. It was like the souls of the Uchiha clan were still roaming about, but perhaps she was being a little too superstitious. Still, living in a place like this, Sakura felt she was coming to understand why Sasuke had always been so dark and aloof from everyone. This place held that same distant feeling.

Stepping up to the door, Sasuke hesitated. He hadn't wanted to even see this place again, not until Itachi was dead. Still, he didn't have much of a choice now. So, sucking in an inaudible deep breath, he slid the door open and slipped quietly inside with Sakura close behind.

The interior was relatively dark but it was very roomy, Sakura was glad to note. There was a set of stairs leading up that she presumed led to the bedrooms and there was a nice dark blue carpet covering the floor. She smiled slightly before turning to her companion.

"Care to show me around?" she asked. She would be living here for a few days after all, so Sasuke figured it wouldn't hurt. He shrugged slightly and pointed to one of the doors.

"That's the living room," he paused and shifted so he was pointing to a door not far away from it, "that's the kitchen and inside there's a door leading to the dining room," he breathed a low sigh and indicated towards the door next to the stairs, "and that's the restroom."

Sakura absorbed his words intently as he pointed toward the stairs. "And the stairs lead up to the bedrooms. There are three of them," he finished before turning to walk up the stairs. Sakura blinked when he tossed a glance back at her. "Don't you want me to show you the other rooms?" he asked.

The emerald eyed girl laughed somewhat nervously at the fact that she had spaced out for a minute there before following him up to let him show her the remaining rooms. It would take some getting used to, but Sakura was fairly certain she could become acquainted with Sasuke's house after a little bit of practice.

Besides, it was all worth it for Sasuke's sake.

---------- **Tsudzuku: To Be Continued** ----------

_**Preview:** The details of Sasuke's mission are revealed! Next Time: "A Shinobi of Konoha". _

**Disclaimer & Copyright Information:** I do not own Naruto (© Kishimoto Masashi); however, I am the author of this story. If you have comments or suggestions, leave a review or send me an e-mail. Doumo arigatou, for reading my writing!


	3. Chapter 03: A Shinobi of Konoha

_**For Someone Important...** Almost three years have passed since Uchiha Sasuke's betrayal of Konoha. But now that he has mysteriously returned to his old home, what awaits him and his companions as they try to mend what has been broken? Sasuke+Sakura, Neji+Tenten, Naruto+Hinata, Shikamaru+Ino, and Kakashi+Kurenai._

---------- **Chapter 03: A Shinobi of Konoha** ----------

_The Uchiha District had never felt so completely empty before -- it had never been so completely empty. All were dead, who previously inhabited this section of Konohagakure. All but Uchiha Sasuke himself... _

And his brother.

The air held a certain chill but the cold scarlet of Uchiha Itachi's eyes cut through it like a dart, piercing Sasuke's already horrified gaze and making him tremble slightly.

He was afraid. Just like that time.

"Foolish little brother... If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run, keep running and cling to life... without honor."

-----

The light sound of rapping on Sasuke's bedroom door tore him violently away from his less than peaceful dream. He bolted abruptly into an upright sitting position, sweat immediately beading on his forehead as his breaths rasped somewhat uneasily from his throat.

He had only just returned, and the memories were back.

After calming his breathing a bit, Sasuke pushed himself slowly to his feet. Breathing out deeply, he walked quietly over to answer the door. A familiar pink haired girl stood just outside, staring down at the floor and waiting. Upon hearing the door open, she raised her head to reveal a smile. She blushed faintly upon seeing him and averted her emerald eyes back to the floor.

"Sasuke-kun, I fixed breakfast if you're hungry--"

"No thanks."

"But you have to eat--"

"I'll fix myself breakfast," he interrupted again, causing Sakura to bite down slightly on her bottom lip. She waited a few seconds before sucking in a sharp breath to reinforce her determination.

"You promised that you would let me help you... since you're still recuperating," she reminded quietly. Sasuke punched himself mentally; he had said that, hadn't he? As much as it pained him to acknowledge it, he couldn't go back on his word -- he had done that too many times already.

A quick nod of regard followed a quiet, "Fine." Sakura's smile returned as she turned around so that she was no longer facing the raven haired shinobi and started back to the stairs.

"Get dressed and meet me downstairs in the dining room!" she called as she disappeared down the stairs, her statement causing Sasuke to glance down somewhat disorientedly at himself. He was wearing nothing but a pair of white shorts and a frown. Grimacing, he cursed under his breath and turned to walk back inside the sanctity of his room.

He knew he'd forgotten something.

-----

After properly outfitting himself and grabbing his ningu, Sasuke was downstairs and stepping into the dining room. His plucky housemate had just finished setting the table and sitting down when he took a seat as well.

It had been quite nice of Kakashi to drop by last night with a small supply of food -- honestly, Sakura herself hadn't even thought of anything like that. She had, after all, been too wrapped up in Sasuke's life; their mission was today.

They ate in silence, no sound other than the ticking of the clock in the corner disrupting the quiet atmosphere. After finishing, Sakura leaned her chin against her palms to watch Sasuke finish also. He tossed a brief glance in her direction, silently wondering why she was staring at him so intently.

"Sakura?" he asked finally, without actually looking at her. She tilted her head slightly, confused.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun? Is something wrong?" she inquired. He was impressively still for a minute as he pushed his now empty plate forward a bit on the table.

"Why... do you keep staring at me?"

It wasn't a question that Sakura had been readily expecting, but it was one that caused that small pink tinge to resurface on her face as she lowered her eyes to the table.

"It's just that I hadn't... seen you in so long," she murmured a little shyly. She had changed quite a bit, but she was still Sakura. She was still the girl he'd known before, and that relieved him more than it annoyed him. "I'm happy to have you back... That's all."

Sasuke frowned slightly as he narrowed his eyes a bit and looked to the nearest wall. "Why is that? I haven't managed to figure out why you guys accepted me again so easily. Why don't you and Naruto hate me... after everything I've done -- I did try to kill you once," he finally let out that which he had been thinking about for a little while now.

Sakura's lips parted slightly in confusion before smiling sadly as her eyes fell shut. "How could I hate you?" she queried, making Sasuke look back up at her in surprise. "You were wrong... to go to Orochimaru... And I won't lie by saying that it didn't hurt when you left," she added.

"It did hurt, it hurt a lot. It was like it left a gaping hole right here," explained Sakura, resting her palms against her left chest and lowering her head a bit. "I didn't want Sasuke-kun to leave; but now... now that Sasuke-kun is back, I don't need to be sad anymore... or angry. I'm just grateful... that he's home, safe and sound."

Sasuke was surprised to say the least; Sakura really had forgiven him that easily. He wasn't certain he would ever fully understand her or the others -- but he did know that he, too, felt strangely relieved to be back in Konoha.

In another uncharacteristic moment, he then whispered sincerely, "Thank you..."

Sakura's eyes widened at those two very familiar words, her gaze drawn immediately to the one who'd uttered them. Her lips trembled slightly when she recalled the first time he'd said them... She breathed a shaky sigh as she replaced her surprised expression with a more cheerful one.

"Sasuke-kun, we should get going." Sakura replied with a quick murmur. Sasuke nodded and pushed himself up.

"Aa."

-----

The trip over to Tsunade's office was uneventful to say the least, so at least there were no angry glares(or at least very few) targeted toward the Uchiha. Still, the air was a tad bit uncomfortable -- and Sasuke assumed that it would be for quite a while.

Upon arriving at the appropriate building, Sasuke and Sakura were stopped by the ever familiar voice of the one and only Uzumaki Naruto.

"Sakura-chan, Sasuke!" he called, coming to a stop in front of his teammates. Sakura frowned slightly.

"You're here for Sasuke-kun's mission, right?" she asked, and Naruto nodded a little more hyperactively than neccessary. Needless to say, he was pumped -- he was ready to go.

Sasuke spoke next, "I'm amazed you managed to make it on time, Dobe," he muttered. Naruto's face held an expression of faux anger as he raised a fist shakily toward his best friend. Sakura smiled -- yes, things indeed felt very much like they used to. She felt happy just knowing that.

So, the three former members of Team 7 stepped inside together to hear the details of the mission -- and who their other two teammates would be.

-----

Tsunade glanced past the person she was talking to at the three ninja as they entered, and smiled quickly. The black haired male turned around also to greet them, a familiar smile on his face.

"Well if it isn't Naruto-kun and Sakura-san -- and Sasuke-kun, too. You're back!" Sai greeted, and while Naruto happily greeted him, Sasuke frowned negatively.

"So I've heard," he grumbled bitterly. He still seemed to bear some ill feelings toward Sai. Sakura noticed this and decided to try and start a subject topic.

"So, how is everything, Sai?" she asked cautiously. Sasuke just averted his eyes to a nearby wall; realizing, Sai closed his eyes.

"Everything's fine right now -- but, I do hope Sasuke-kun doesn't think ill of me for being his temporary replacement," he spoke, hoping to let the other boy know that there existed no such mutual hard feelings from his end. After a moment or so of silence, he began to walk toward the exit. It would probably be better not to push it too much.

As soon as Sai had disappeared from Tsunade's office, the other three approached her desk closer. Sakura smiled and raised her right fist into the air. "Okay, now what's our mission?" she inquired anxiously. Tsunade couldn't help but smile secretly -- she'd never seen Sakura so happy before.

"It's in Training Ground #44, the Forest of Death. From what I've heard, you guys took the Chuunin Selection Exam there three years ago, so you should remember it rather well." Tsunade began, folding her fingers on her desk as she spoke. "About two kilometers to the northeast of the central tower, there should be a small shrine. Your mission is to go there and retrieve the scroll contained inside," she explained. Sasuke seemed to think about this for a minute.

"It seems more like a conversion objective than a standard mission," he pointed out, causing Sakura to glance over at him before looking back at Tsunade.

"Yeah, after all, with where it's located, it should be no problem for your average Konoha Jounin -- or even Chuunin -- to accomplish... If anything, it's more like the scroll was just put there deliberately for Sasuke-kun to have to retrieve it."

Tsunade smiled slightly. "You figured that much out, as I expected," she began, causing Sakura to grin as well -- not to be overconfident or anything, but she was proud of her analytical skills. "Now, you should go in from the southernmost of the fourty four gates for observation reasons. This is to extend the difficulty level of the test by a bit -- but, it shouldn't be a problem, since you made it to the tower once before. It's not much farther, however," Tsunade paused briefly, "there are a few new _surprises_ you'll find in there -- and also your time limit is more constrained. You have one day to get the scroll and get back here."

Naruto's jaw dropped, while Sasuke smirked slightly. This may prove to be interesting -- so, they only had one fifth of the original time limit. With as much stronger as he'd gotten, he had confidence it wouldn't be a problem.

Sakura also was pretty confident in their ability to succeed. After all, she hadn't been slacking off herself.

Tsunade breathed a low sigh next, "Other than that, I'm also sending two other shinobi to assist you -- one Jounin and one Chuunin." Tsunade added, "Whether or not that makes things easier is up to you. The two I selected kind of volunteered -- they should be waiting for you near Training Ground #44."

"All right, I'm ready! Dattebayo!" Naruto called, before pumping one of his hands into the air enthusiastically. Tsunade closed her eyes. She knew they could succeed, and she was looking forward to their performances.

"The gate to your entry point has already been unlocked, so you're pretty much ready to go." Tsunade said, before looking up again and focusing her eyes on Sasuke individually. "And, Sasuke, thanks to some convincing speeches by a few of your friends this morning, I've decided on one other thing..."

Sasuke raised his eyes to the blond haired woman as Sakura blinked in confusion -- she hadn't known of anything else. "If you manage to pass this test and make it back here within the time limit, not only will I reinstate your rank as a Genin of Konohagakure, but also," she said before narrowing her eyes slightly, "consider this as a sort of... private Chuunin Selection Exam. If you pass, I will reinstate you as a _Chuunin_ of Konohagakure."

Sakura's lips curled up into a surprised, but happy smile. That meant that Sasuke wouldn't have to take the Chuunin Exam later that year! _This is great, Sasuke-kun,_ she thought quietly to herself, looking over at the obsidian eyed Uchiha.

"And, Naruto, this is partially the reason I'm sending you on this mission as well -- you were never promoted to Chuunin either, so this is also your opportunity." Tsunade informed. Naruto smiled one of his patented grins, before extending his right arm and raising his thumb. Sakura would have sworn he had been practicing his Good Guy poses.

"You can count on us, dattebayo!" he responded. And that was that. Now they just had to meet up with their allies for the mission and they'd be off -- they did only have one day to complete it after all. They had to be back at Tsunade's office by this time tomorrow.

As the three stepped out of the building, Naruto paused briefly. "Sasuke," he started as he reached back into the pouch on the back of his waist. Sasuke glanced back at him as Naruto produced a Konoha Hitai-ate from the small bag and extended it out to him.

Sasuke seemed puzzled by this, until Naruto grinned largely and explained, "This is your old Hitai-ate. I had it repaired after you left. If all goes well in this mission, you'll be able to proudly wear it on your forehead again -- as a shinobi of Konohagakure!"

That look of confusion was replaced with a tiny smile as Sasuke accepted the Hitai-ate from Naruto and looked down at it in silence for a minute. Sakura then smiled encouragingly.

"It shouldn't hurt -- go ahead, put it on," said the floral haired kunoichi. Sasuke seemed to think about it for a minute while Naruto and Sakura both waited expectantly.

_That's right, and this time I have to try my best to earn it..._ he added in thought, before bringing the headband up and tying it securely around his forehead. He then widened his smirk a bit as he raised his eyes determinedly to his two companions.

"Sakura, Naruto. Let's go."

---------- **Tsudzuku: To Be Continued** ----------

_**Preview:** The mission begins, and the two teammates are--? Next Time: "The Mission". _

**Disclaimer & Copyright Information:** I do not own Naruto (© Kishimoto Masashi); however, I am the author of this story. If you have comments or suggestions, leave a review or send me an e-mail. Doumo arigatou, for reading my writing!


	4. Chapter 04: The Mission

_**For Someone Important...** Almost three years have passed since Uchiha Sasuke's betrayal of Konoha. But now that he has mysteriously returned to his old home, what awaits him and his companions as they try to mend what has been broken? Sasuke+Sakura, Neji+Tenten, Naruto+Hinata, Shikamaru+Ino, and Kakashi+Kurenai._

---------- **Chapter 04: The Mission** ----------

Sasuke raised his ebony eyes to the gate of Training Ground #44, anticipation building in his stomach. He frowned slightly before looking to either side; Tsunade had said that their two teammates would be around this place, but there was no one around nor had they passed anyone on their way there.

Sakura narrowed her emerald eyes in thought, "Ne... Maybe they're just late. We should wait for them to get here."

"Aa."

Naruto dropped down into a sitting position on the ground, folding his arms behind his head. "I don't know who they are, but what could those guys be thinking, dattebayo!" he stated rather than asked, causing Sakura to sigh a bit as Sasuke turned his head toward the direction they had come from previously.

Within moments, two forms came into view; over the next few seconds, they gradually became more clearly visible until they stopped a few feet behind the recently reunited Team 7(minus Kakashi); Naruto and Sakura both turned around also after noticing that Sasuke was already staring.

Could it be the mythical partners the Hokage had spoke of?

As the two stepped into view, Sasuke sweatdropped in realization. _You're kidding, right?_ he thought quietly to himself before lowering his head just a bit. He had to calm down and graciously accept whoever the teammates were, and it was true that it could have been worse...

_Whatever, I don't care -- as long as I complete this test successfully,_ he reassured himself with an inaudible sigh.

"Oh, Gai-sensei! They've already arrived!" Lee exclaimed, pointing an index finger toward Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. He then looked over at Sasuke individually; he had almost forgotten -- Sasuke had returned! "Sasuke-kun, what Neji said is true -- you're back!" he exclaimed.

"I've heard some rumors." Sasuke muttered dully in response; he'd heard so many people tell him he was back already, and really he was getting tired of it. It was true, but still...

The dark haired youth was brought from his thoughts when Gai knocked Lee on the back of the head to get his attention. "Lee, I have won the guessing game, so you must do six hundred single handed push-ups!" he reminded.

"Yes!" Lee said and saluted affirmatively before dropping down and beginning to do his push-ups immediately. Gai then flashed a Good Guy pose toward Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto.

"Are you... our teammates for this mission?" Sakura finally asked uncertainly, feeling somewhat incredulous. Would Tsunade have really selected those two? Gai laughed a bit in reaction to Sakura's question.

"Of course not, we just came to wish you well -- since they were coming anyway!" he explained, causing Sakura to blink and glance at Naruto then Sasuke.

Sasuke paused. "So then, who--"

"We are."

The three ninja all turned their heads in the direction of a very familiar voice to see an equally familiar duo approaching from behind Gai and Lee.

Neji stopped a couple of feet away from Sasuke and the others and closed his eyes as Tenten stepped up beside him. She smiled encouragingly, "Well, what are we waiting for? You guys have a deadline to meet, right?" she asked. A minute or so of confused silence passed before Sakura grinned slightly. She had to admit she felt happy to have another female on the team.

The pink haired girl laughed somewhat sheepishly then, "I have to say, I wasn't expecting you guys; I figured that Kakashi-sensei would be coming!" she admitted. Neji cracked his pearl colored eyes back open enough to look at Sasuke, who only looked back at him in reaction.

"If this mission is successful and you are promoted to the Chuunin rank," Neji began, before curling his lips up in a slight smirk, "then you owe me a sparring match... Sasuke."

Sasuke waited a minute before mirroring Neji's smile and turning once again to face the unlocked gate into the Forest of Death. "I'll be looking forward to it," he responded quietly, making Sakura smile also as she thrust her right arm into the air. It felt nice to know that they were getting along so well -- she supposed, for a ninja at least, a sparring match was a good sign.

"Then it's time to start!"

-----

"So, it's two kilometers northeast of our destination last time." Tenten observed after having stepped inside the ominous collection of trees.

"Right. There's supposed to be some kind of scroll for us to find there." Sakura added, running back over the details of the mission in her mind once again. "So, now, the biggest question is..."

"What is the best method to approach this situation." Neji finished for her as he folded his arms contemplatively. They had stopped just inside to formulate a strategy, and they obviously needed to finish doing so as soon as possible in order to then execute the created plan. After all, they were on a rather strict schedule this time around.

"We've seen the terrain before, but we can't be certain what kinds of new traps or ambushes there are." Sasuke inserted, with a thoughtful frown.

Tenten looked upwards, "Soshite, Godaime-sama could have even arranged the appearance of enemy ninja inside the forest to make up for the lack of contestants in the Chuunin Exam three years ago."

Meanwhile, Naruto's head whirled in confusion; his companions had already lost him. He, currently, had no idea what they were particularly talking about. Of course, he never had been the brightest bulb in the box. So, he settled for waiting until they figured it out.

"We should move cautiously. Treating our entry point as Point A, the central tower as Point B, and our destination as Point C, first we should move from our current Point A to Point B, then further to Point C. It shouldn't be hard to make it from Point B to Point C since we have a good idea of the direction." Sakura analyzed, making Naruto's head hurt.

Neji cracked his eyes open and tossed a glance toward the north. "But, it could also save us time to move directly from Point A to Point C," he added, "And we don't know for sure what could be waiting in either direction. From here, Point C should still be Northeast on a lesser angle so we still have a good idea on our destination."

Naruto's eyes then began to swirl, paying homage to his name. Sasuke lowered his head a bit, "I agree with Neji. It will save us time, and we can scout for any potential ambush with his Byakkugan to prevent being caught in booby traps. So, it would seem most beneficial for us to move directly to Point C -- we just need to be cautious about our movements in case of traps or enemies."

Naruto felt his brain going numb by this point. Sakura breathed a small sigh as Tenten scratched her cheek with her right index finger thoughtfully. "It should be roughly twelve kilometers from where we are -- it's only possible that it could save us time to move directly to Point C. Actually, it should take a similar amount of time, plus we'll be able to use Point B as a resting point." Tenten said. Sakura nodded once in agreement and Neji looked up.

"It seems we have a tie -- two of us think we should move from Point A to Point C, while the other two believe we should move from Point A to Point B to Point C. However," he then turned his ivory eyes to the fifth member of the team. Sasuke, Sakura, and Tenten all did the same.

Naruto sweatdropped as he tried to stop his brain from rattling. "What?"

"We need a tie-breaker, so which one?" Neji asked. Naruto laughed somewhat nervously; they were going to rely on him to decide? Really, they should have known better.

"Go on, baka, pick one!" Sakura exclaimed, her expression becoming a tad bit impatient.

"Oi, tonchiki, hurry up. We don't have all day." Sasuke spoke up with a light frown. Naruto grimaced and began to stroke his chin thoughtfully. This was bothersome, but it seemed he had to do it.

"Uh... I think we should take Sakura-chan's suggestion?" Naruto offered finally, causing Sasuke to slap his forehead and Neji to shake his head hopelessly. Naruto really didn't know anything about strategizing, but it wasn't important now... They had chosen to let him decide, after all. If something happened, then it was their fault... right?

"Fine, we'll first focus on moving to Point B," said the Uchiha. Neji turned in the appropriate direction to check it out with his Byakkugan. He had no complaints, he was just glad they managed to work it out.

"Finally," he mumbled first before shaping a few hand seals, "Byakkugan!" The others waited patiently as he looked ahead to scan the landscape for potential traps. Finally, he relaxed his eye ability and looked back at the others confidently.

"It would seem that there are no surprises for the first eight hundred meters," he informed, and after a few more words of preperation were exchanged between them, they headed off in the chosen direction...

Discarding the previous idea regarding who to put the blame on, they marched forward. If something were to happen now, they _could_ just blame it on Naruto.

-----

It was surprisingly a quiet trip thus far, and nighttime was already drawing close signified by the darkening sky above. Sakura was beginning to wonder if Tsunade'd really had new traps set; honestly, it seemed a little _too_ easy. It gave her somewhat of a foreboding feeling, and her teammates had been quick to notice it as well.

Nonetheless, they'd been moving at a pretty quick pace(though they'd still been travelling for hours); every eight hundred meters, they would stop and let Neji check out the surroundings with his Byakkugan. This had been going on for the first five kilometers, when Neji finally noticed something.

"Explosive tags -- on the fourth tree up to the right and the sixth tree up to the left." Neji pointed out, causing Tenten to sigh heavily. Sweat began to perspire on her forehead as the five carefully headed around this small obstacle. Cautiously, they stepped over the wires just above the ground to get past the first group of traps entirely.

"Not very well hidden." Sakura noted. Sasuke narrowed his eyes before casting a glance back at the passed field of traps, his mind slowly trying to get a bearing on their current position.

"Either they didn't have much confidence in our ability to detect traps, or--" he started, and Neji nodded once in agreement before casting a glance to either side just to be on the safe side.

"They're trying to throw us off," the Hyuuga finished for him, causing Sasuke to frown a bit in concentration. It was probably just part of the Godaime's plan; still, for some reason, he had a feeling that something else was going on.

"Tenten, to the right!" Neji called abruptly having just started to check the surroundings with his Byakkugan, causing Tenten to stop after already stepping forward. She quickly turned her head around to face him next, surprise evident in her expression. Her eyes quickly widened when she realized what she'd done...

The explosive tag on the tree began to burn up, soon after setting off a chain reaction as connected and previously unnoticed explosive tags began to burn on the successive trees. This caused the bun haired girl to bite down on the inside of her bottom lip as she threw her arms up defensively and jumped to the left to try and avoid it.

"Kuso," Neji cursed under his breath before jumping over to shield his female companion from the blast. Naruto just began looking around in confusion as Sasuke and Sakura distanced themselves from the tags also...

And then they went off. While most of them produced standard explosions, a couple seemed to be feints and sent out clouds of smoke instead. On top of that, when the earth under Sasuke began to break, he realized just what was going on -- as surprising a fact as it was.

"Doton?" he asked basically no one as he began to fall from the small cliff in the direction of who knew what could be lurking below. Noticing what was going on, Sakura quickly ran over and jumped off also, extending a hand to catch one of Sasuke's wrists. If all of them were to get seperated, it would probably lessen their chance of making it back in time. And that meant only one thing: they couldn't get seperated, they had to stick together.

However, it wasn't all too long before she realized the extent of what had happened, and she was certain the others probably already knew as well...

They had, indeed, been seperated.

-----

Tenten groaned as she somewhat uneasily rose into a sitting position, coughing slightly from the smoke. Neji moved his pearl colored eyes as he began to survey the surrounding area. They'd been distanced a bit from their previous position, and furthermore he couldn't see Sasuke, Sakura, or Naruto around anywhere.

"Dammit," he muttered, causing Tenten to lower her head slightly. She knew it was her fault; had she been paying attention, she would have waited for Neji to finish searching the area before moving...

"Gomen, Neji..." she appologized quietly; she had been careless, even though she had tried her best to be as cautious as possible. She had been the one to cause this, and now they were split up.

Neji breathed a low sigh in response, sorting out his thoughts calmly. "Everything's all right. I'll just check out the surrounding few meters with my Byakkugan to see if I can locate the others -- we may have to shift our location a little though."

Tenten smiled slightly as she waved her hand to fan some of the remaining smoke away from her face. "I hope everyone's all right..." she mumbled, before standing and raising her eyes to the gradually darkening sky...

-----

Sakura winced as she rolled onto her side, her eyes flinching but not opening just yet. Consciousness soon began to flood her mind however, and she very carefully cracked her eyes open. "What happened...?" she mumbled somewhat disorientedly, hearing the feint sound of shifting behind her.

Sasuke cradled his forehead in his palm before casting a glance back upwards from whence they had fallen. Sakura dazedly followed his gaze up to the cliff side, her eyes slowly shifting from the broken up earth to the clods of dirt around them. Upon abruptly feeling a panging in the side of her head, she cringed and raised her right hand to rub her temple soothingly.

"The last thing I remember is getting hit in the head with a rock -- Sasuke-kun, how far do you think we fell...?" she began to ask, as Sasuke pulled himself to a standing position. He dusted off his pants with his right hand as he looked up in the direction they'd fallen from.

"We could be a full kilometer away from the others..." he grumbled slightly, checking to make sure he hadn't lost his ningu pouch. This truly was a problem -- he couldn't believe he'd been so careless as to not realize it.

"Then we should..."

"Continue north and hope we find the central tower." Sasuke cut in, and Sakura nodded once in agreement. He was right, at the very least they knew what direction they had fallen from -- which meant that the deemed Point B should still be north from their current location. She nibbled lightly on her tongue as she seperated her thoughts.

This was nothing to get too anxious over; the team had been seperated, but they would more than likely meet back up on their way to the tower. At least, that's what she would be hoping for. With a little luck, the mission would be fine. They couldn't let this little detour stop them -- Sasuke's fate as a shinobi was depending on it!

"Sakura, let's go." Sasuke said finally, interrupting his pink haired companion's thoughts. Silently conceding, she started to get up only to find that her ankle was disagreeing with her. She wrenched sharply in reaction to the abrupt stinging feeling and sat right back down.

"Gomen nasai, Sasuke-kun. I should heal this first -- it's just a sprain." Sakura assured him before sighing somewhat shakily and holding her palm just above her injured ankle to heal it with her Shosen Jutsu.

Sasuke waited patiently until she was finished, before turning in the direction they would be leaving in. Sakura frowned slightly and stood, her eyes narrowing slightly in determination.

"We have to make it to the central tower -- we'll use it as a meeting point; the others have to be there when we make it!" she resolved more to herself than anyone. Sasuke noted this statement and looked off toward their destination.

_This... is turning out to be a nuisance._

And with that, they were off as well. Something continued to bother Sasuke though -- he felt as though they were being watched now, and something about his instincts assured him that he was right.

They weren't alone.

-----

Raising up into a sitting position, Naruto scoffed back at what he would call the mine field from here on out. He then raised his head and quickly glanced from one side to the other. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead next as he bowed his head in defeat...

"I'm lost, dattebayo..."

---------- **Tsudzuku: To Be Continued** ----------

_**Preview:** The team has been seperated! How will they succeed now that the deadline has gotten closer? Next Time: "Unexpected Surprises". _

**Nihongo Word Notes:** Tonchiki; A male insult meaning numbskull, dimwit, idiot, etc.

**Disclaimer & Copyright Information:** I do not own Naruto (© Kishimoto Masashi); however, I am the author of this story. If you have comments or suggestions, leave a review or send me an e-mail. Doumo arigatou, for reading my writing!


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